Ragi Carrot and Nut Cake Recipe (Eggless, Moist & Flavorful)

Last week for Fondbite’s Bake Along, Subhashini shared a wholesome cake made with ragi (finger millet) flour. Ragi is celebrated for its health benefits — it’s high in calcium and fiber, naturally gluten-free, and commonly used in South Indian cuisine. It’s often recommended as nutritious baby food, helpful for people with diabetes, and useful in weight management. Using ragi in a cake can be challenging because cakes usually rely on gluten to bind the crumb, and many traditional recipes include eggs for structure. I was curious about the outcome but decided to try it.

The original recipe called for sweet potato, which helps provide moisture and binding when baking with gluten-free flours. Sweet potatoes weren’t available nearby, so I substituted potatoes. I also replaced the eggs with thick curd and added a little extra flour to give the batter more volume. The result was successful: the cake didn’t rise a lot — it’s a dense, heavy loaf because of the nuts and carrots — but it came out soft and held together well instead of crumbling. The potatoes worked as a binder. I baked the batter in loaf pans and took one to my aunt, who absolutely loved it.

Coincidentally, we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary recently. My husband surprised me with an early trip to Munnar. The cool climate and misty cardamom and tea estates were a perfect break from baking and blogging. We enjoyed long walks through the plantations, and even our little one Sruti walked for nearly two hours without complaining. I’m sharing a small collage from a flower garden we visited — a restful, joyful weekend away.

After the trip I was busy fulfilling an order and even forgot to make a sweet for our anniversary — but sharing this cake recipe on the blog feels like a sweet way to celebrate.

Recipe Source: Fondbites

Makes: 2 loaves

Ingredients

• Ragi / Finger Millet Flour – 2 1/4 cups
• Thick jaggery syrup – 1 cup (use 1 1/2 cups grated jaggery boiled with water until thick, then cooled)
• Grated carrots – 2 cups
• Peeled and grated potatoes – 2 cups
• Baking powder – 1 1/2 tsp
• Baking soda – 1 tsp
• Pistachios – 1 cup
• Cashews – 1 cup
• Salt – 1/2 tsp
• Cardamom powder – 1 tsp
• Thick curd – 1 cup
• Ghee – 3/4 cup

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Grease and dust two loaf pans.
3. In a bowl, whisk together the ragi flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cardamom powder.
4. Prepare the jaggery syrup by boiling 1 1/2 cups grated jaggery with a little water until it becomes thick. Cool the syrup to room temperature.
5. In another bowl, cream the ghee and cooled jaggery syrup until combined.
6. Add the thick curd and whisk until smooth.
7. Fold in the dry flour mixture, mixing until the batter is smooth and free of lumps.
8. Stir in the grated carrots and grated potatoes until evenly distributed.
9. Add the pistachios and cashews, mixing to incorporate.
10. Divide the batter evenly between the two loaf tins and bake for about 1 hour.
11. After one hour, a toothpick may come out slightly sticky; remove the loaves and let them cool completely on a wire rack.
12. Slice only when fully cooled. Serve with a cup of coffee or tea.